1) Cyberbullying is verbal harassment & threats that occurs during online activities. I have never experienced cyberbullying probably because I am not engaged heavily in social networking activities. The few on line friends I have are relatives, long time friends and adults with little incentive for such activity.
2) The legal authority of schools re off campus activities is limited. Generally it is accepted that schools can intervene where an activity affects the school or performance of its students. My interpretation of this is that the school may not suspend a student for an off campus activity unless it affects the school or its students. That doesn't mean that the school administration and faculty should not take a stand on the issue. Much can be accomplished by bring the parties together and having a heart to heart talk. To detect Cyberbullying will require the cooperation of students who have access. The school should establish a no tolerance policy and ask the students to uphold the policy.
3) I come down on the side of being preemptive. We know that Cyberbullying is an issue from the high profile cases that have been reported. We should make this a class issue and solicit cooperation by the students to report behavior and to submit print outs. I believe such submissions can be done in an anonymous way. A standardized policy for the school or a grade level would help strengthen the policy and make a broader base of the school aware of the policy. Proactive is the only way.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Post on Social Justice & Who are Today's Learners
1) I am not convinced that outside access is a problem in our local schools. As noted by Christine Greenhow the old assumptions about limited computer access for low income and rural students are less likely to apply. With the growth of social networking among the parental age group of our students, computers are no longer a luxury but a necessity. Prices have also come down dramatically in recent years. Today a desktop computer of substantial capability can be had for less than $350. Software access is also not a problem. Free Web-Based Office suites are now available form Google, Sun and MS. The functionality of these packages are sufficient for all school projects. For Portland and surrounding areas I believe we are well past the point of critical mass where computer access can be assumed for all students.
2) It will be a disservice to other students if technology use is limited because of a few. Computer access for development of computer skills and for research is essential. I suspect that the need for developing computer skills may be diminishing. We will need to teach touch typing in 4th grade to get ahead of the hunt and peck style of typing.
3) I am assuming the Disadvantaged term refers to computer and technology access at home. I expect lack of computer access to be overwhelming exception and addressible by giving preference to school computer time to those without access at home. Besides, I have enough computers knocking home that I could probably address part of the problem myself.
1) I am not convinced that outside access is a problem in our local schools. As noted by Christine Greenhow the old assumptions about limited computer access for low income and rural students are less likely to apply. With the growth of social networking among the parental age group of our students, computers are no longer a luxury but a necessity. Prices have also come down dramatically in recent years. Today a desktop computer of substantial capability can be had for less than $350. Software access is also not a problem. Free Web-Based Office suites are now available form Google, Sun and MS. The functionality of these packages are sufficient for all school projects. For Portland and surrounding areas I believe we are well past the point of critical mass where computer access can be assumed for all students.
2) It will be a disservice to other students if technology use is limited because of a few. Computer access for development of computer skills and for research is essential. I suspect that the need for developing computer skills may be diminishing. We will need to teach touch typing in 4th grade to get ahead of the hunt and peck style of typing.
3) I am assuming the Disadvantaged term refers to computer and technology access at home. I expect lack of computer access to be overwhelming exception and addressible by giving preference to school computer time to those without access at home. Besides, I have enough computers knocking home that I could probably address part of the problem myself.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
1) I liked the use of videos and actual photographs in the preventions. They were engaging and related to the topic and amplified the topic in an effective manner. The travel logs were the most engaging. Derrick's use of video in his presentation brought out a depth in the movie Jaws that I had not previously realized.
2) When your presentation depends on technology and the tech doesn't work, it really does destroy the moment. In my own presentation my laptop was muted. Normally when you adjust the volume of a PC it comes off of mute. Mine didn't and messed up the presentation.
3) I could have improved my presentation by completing my notes and practicing. Also, my slides looked inconsistent. My use of pictures created this impression because of the different way I used them in the slides. Several were picture graphics that didn't add much to the slide other then prettying it up. Another picture was used as a background with white text over. In retrospect it just looked out of place relative to the rest of the presentation.
4) Yes, I like using power point for lessons. I discovered that there are different ways to use power point. The method advocated by the docs we reviewed used power point as a graphic amplifier for a verbally presented lesson. The ppt was not intended to stand alone but required the presenter or notes to ensure that all points were captured. Previously I have used ppt as a document of in a decision making process. For this use ppt must be complete, standalone and not requiring either a presenter of notes to understand the topic after the fact. I intend to use ppt in a mix of the two. Students should be able to review the ppt and understand the topic being taught after class is over. The graphics I will include are those essential for understanding, not a bunch of pretty pictures.
2) When your presentation depends on technology and the tech doesn't work, it really does destroy the moment. In my own presentation my laptop was muted. Normally when you adjust the volume of a PC it comes off of mute. Mine didn't and messed up the presentation.
3) I could have improved my presentation by completing my notes and practicing. Also, my slides looked inconsistent. My use of pictures created this impression because of the different way I used them in the slides. Several were picture graphics that didn't add much to the slide other then prettying it up. Another picture was used as a background with white text over. In retrospect it just looked out of place relative to the rest of the presentation.
4) Yes, I like using power point for lessons. I discovered that there are different ways to use power point. The method advocated by the docs we reviewed used power point as a graphic amplifier for a verbally presented lesson. The ppt was not intended to stand alone but required the presenter or notes to ensure that all points were captured. Previously I have used ppt as a document of in a decision making process. For this use ppt must be complete, standalone and not requiring either a presenter of notes to understand the topic after the fact. I intend to use ppt in a mix of the two. Students should be able to review the ppt and understand the topic being taught after class is over. The graphics I will include are those essential for understanding, not a bunch of pretty pictures.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Is Educational Technology Shortening Student Attention Spans? This question addresses the use of technology in education and for that use the answer is emphatically No! The article taking the affirmative decries the multi-tasking and twitch factor of popular technology but does not make the case that use of technology in education diminishes the result. The 150 years since the Lincoln-Douglas debates have changed our culture substantially. We move at a faster pace that is made possible by technology. If we can't turn back the hands of time to horse & buggy days with regard to our society we should not attempt to do so in our educational forum. Use of technology in education is not a "Faustian Bargain" but a rational use of the tools available to us. I am not advocating a multi-tasking nightmare of "iPod, chat, research on the Internet while typing a paper and playing an online game." It is foolish to suggest so. Good results on a paper take dedicated time, no matter what the medium. Our students are different types of learners so we should use a multi-disciplined approach in our teaching. When I read the "Yes" argument I envisioned living in Amish country. Is that the intent of the author?
Is Chatspeak Destroying English? I do not believe Chatspeak is destroying English. It is simply another dialect of English. It's important to remember that Chatspeak is about Chatting. It's informal and doesn't express deep thought. It is not formal English nor intended to be, and I agree, its use "has no appreciable effect on the command of written English." It is clear that "good writing skills are essential." Whether a student is bound to college or the workplace, written communication is an essential skill. "The short cuts and acronyms that make instant messaging, text messaging, and online chatting so popular have no place in academic, business, and other formal writing settings." We can address these skills in the same manner we have in the past, through writing standards. As business exchanges have moved from formal memos to email exchanges, I have seen some elements of Chatspeak used. BTW is often used for a side comment. Is this bad?
Should Cellphones be Banned from Classrooms? Banned, No; turned off, Yes! It is true that the "basic cell phone has the ability to be the students' "Swiss Army knife" of technology" but in practice cellphone features vary wildly and are poor substitutes for purpose built technologies. "Laptops are much more versatile yet uniform than cell phones." There are instances where cell phones can be used effectively. On a field trip, for example, cell phones are useful for keeping the group together and keeping to a schedule. Cameras which are now ubiquitous on cameras can be used to capture a photo journal of a field trip, experiment or observation. I question using Jott for speech to text conversion for hearing impaired. In my experience speech recognition on cell phones has a long way to go before it can address such complex needs.
Is Chatspeak Destroying English? I do not believe Chatspeak is destroying English. It is simply another dialect of English. It's important to remember that Chatspeak is about Chatting. It's informal and doesn't express deep thought. It is not formal English nor intended to be, and I agree, its use "has no appreciable effect on the command of written English." It is clear that "good writing skills are essential." Whether a student is bound to college or the workplace, written communication is an essential skill. "The short cuts and acronyms that make instant messaging, text messaging, and online chatting so popular have no place in academic, business, and other formal writing settings." We can address these skills in the same manner we have in the past, through writing standards. As business exchanges have moved from formal memos to email exchanges, I have seen some elements of Chatspeak used. BTW is often used for a side comment. Is this bad?
Should Cellphones be Banned from Classrooms? Banned, No; turned off, Yes! It is true that the "basic cell phone has the ability to be the students' "Swiss Army knife" of technology" but in practice cellphone features vary wildly and are poor substitutes for purpose built technologies. "Laptops are much more versatile yet uniform than cell phones." There are instances where cell phones can be used effectively. On a field trip, for example, cell phones are useful for keeping the group together and keeping to a schedule. Cameras which are now ubiquitous on cameras can be used to capture a photo journal of a field trip, experiment or observation. I question using Jott for speech to text conversion for hearing impaired. In my experience speech recognition on cell phones has a long way to go before it can address such complex needs.
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